ADL Articles

March 25, 2020 As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, examples of those seeking a scapegoat for the virus continue to proliferate. As ADL and other groups have explored, there have been numerous cases of xenophobia in the US related to the virus, particularly attacks against Asian individuals and groups. Internationally, there have also been many attempts to link COVID-19 to Israel, Zionists and Jews, with some people baselessly claiming the virus is part of a…

March 17, 2020 As the coronavirus continues to surge globally, antisemitic, xenophobic, and hateful messages and conspiracy theories are proliferating rapidly online. These messages spread hate and misinformation, making it more difficult to access accurate information while elevating fear and anxiety. While some of these messages are new, many are simply old tropes repackaged for a modern pandemic. The coronavirus is a tool for Jews to expand their global influence Many antisemitic conspiracy…

March 16, 2020 Introduction Online platforms have enabled white supremacist groups to tap into a global community, amplifying their racist views and connecting them with like-minded individuals. While online activities help unify far-flung adherents, real-world connections outside these virtual platforms indicate a true commitment to their cause. Increasingly, this real-world action is taking place on an international stage. American white supremacists are traveling abroad to…

March 13, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 A guide to contemporary antisemitism was released this week by ADL and disseminated to political candidates running for national office. At a rally for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, a white supremacist unfurled a Nazi flag and performed a Nazi salute before being escorted off the premises. And a host on Fox News conjured up an antisemitic trope in his description of Michael Bloomberg as a “puppet master” controlling fellow…

February 25, 2020 By David Andrew Weinberg, ADL's Washington Director for International Affairs Intentionally or not, U.S. allied governments across the Arab world are providing a stamp of legitimacy for hateful anti-Semitic books of the absolute worst kind.  After an intensive review of offerings at state-run book fairs in the Arab world, ADL has determined that the vast majority of such events have provided a platform for egregiously anti-Semitic reading materials, among other…

February 21, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 At least nine people were killed when a white supremacist opened fire at a hookah bar and other sites in Hanau, Germany. A religiously observant teenage table tennis star, who observes the Jewish sabbath, will be unable to participate in upcoming Olympic trials because the event partially falls on a Saturday. ADL has called on the annual carnival in the Belgian city of Aalst to withdraw the antisemitic caricatures which – as in previous years …

January 23, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 Three men linked to The Base – a violent white supremacist group – were arrested in Maryland and Delaware on federal felony charges after plotting to kill pro-gun control protesters at a Virginia rally in hopes of starting a race war. The anti-Semitic and conspiracy-promoting “news” outlet TruNews was once again granted White House press credentials, this time to cover the World Economic Forum in Davos. U.S. officials, 50 world…

by: Rabbi David Sandmel January 21, 2020 Update: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oberammergau Passion Play has been postponed until 2022. In 1634, the residents of the picturesque village of Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps made a vow to perform a passion play every ten years as a sign of their gratitude to God for having been spared from a deadly plague.  Today the Oberammergau Passion Play is performed every ten years, in years ending in zero, and will also be performed in 2034 …

January 09, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 An estimated 25,000 people marched across the Brooklyn Bridge and then gathered for a community rally, co-sponsored by ADL, in a show of strength and solidarity in response to the recent spate of anti-Semitic violence in the New York City metro area. The U.S. attack that killed an Iranian military leader has spawned a range of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about Jews “pushing” war against Iran. Music-streaming service Spotify is under…

January 09, 2020 Immediately after news broke on January 2, 2020, that a U.S. drone strike had killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani, anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories began circulating online and in public statements in the region.  These included the claim that Jews and/or Zionists control President Trump and the U.S. government, and are manipulating the United States to fight wars on Israel’s behalf. This is the typical behavior and rhetoric of anti-Semites,…

November 25, 2019 In his remarkable address at ADL’s Never is Now Summit last week, the comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen called out major social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, for failing to stop the spread of anti-Semitism and hate on their platforms. “All this hate and violence is being facilitated by a handful of internet companies that amount to the greatest propaganda machine in history,” Baron Cohen said in his remarks,…

November 22, 2019 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 Actor, screenwriter and director Sacha Baron Cohen slammed Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other tech giants for their role in facilitating the spread of online misinformation and hate. A new global survey finds that about one in four Europeans harbors anti-Semitic beliefs. And in Monsey, New York, an Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed walking to morning shul; it was not immediately clear whether it was a hate crime. Read on for more on these…

November 21, 2019 ADL’s latest ADL Global 100 Index poll of anti-Semitic attitudes in 18 countries sheds light on some of the prejudices present in Latin America. The poll was fielded between April and June 2019 in Eastern and Western Europe, Canada, South Africa, Argentina and Brazil. European and other countries with significant Jewish populations were selected for the 2019 survey. Using an 11-question index that has served as a benchmark for previous ADL polling around the world since…

October 10, 2019 On Yom Kippur, the holiest day of Jewish calendar, the synagogue in Halle, Germany was attacked.  A terrorist with a shotgun tried unsuccessfully to enter the synagogue, where approximately 80 congregants were worshiping.  After his failed attempt at the synagogue, he began shooting at nearby individuals, killing two people and wounding two others, none of whom were affiliated with the synagogue. According to news reports, Stephan Balliet, a 27-year-old German…

September 27, 2019 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 The “okay” hand sign, the Dylann Roof ‘bowlcut’, and 34 other extremist symbols have been added to ADL’s hate symbols database. The Department of Homeland Security unveiled a new strategy that places a priority on domestic terrorism, including the threat posed by the far-right. And the Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahatir Mohamad, who has a history of making deeply offensive and anti-Semitic statements, was invited to…

September 19, 2019 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 ADL sent two of its most senior leaders to Capitol Hill this week to testify in front of Congress about the global threat of white supremacy and the proliferation of hate online. Police in Arapahoe County, Colorado are investigating a Snapchat image picturing three high school students with a caption using explicitly violent, anti-Semitic language. And after an outcry from ADL, the Women’s March voted to remove a board member with a long…

September 13, 2019 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 ADL is monitoring a spate of anti-Semitic vandalism and graffiti across the country over the past two weeks, including at a synagogue in Los Angeles, a high school in the Bay Area and a residence hall at the University of Nevada, Reno. Several Israeli students in Warsaw were allegedly assaulted by a group of men from Qatar, shouting “Free Palestine” and “Free Gaza.” And in conjunction with the Aspen Institute, ADL announced a…

August 29, 2019 By David Andrew Weinberg | ADL's Washington Director for International Affairs Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi told a visiting delegation earlier this year that he hopes to see a resurgence of Jewish life in Egypt.  He reportedly even informed the group that if more Jews return, the government would pay to build more synagogues and other communal institutions.  However, this positive message is being undermined by the continued broadcasting of a hateful,…

July 19, 2019 Edition: July 18, 2019 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 President Trump directs “blatantly racist” tweets at four Democratic Congresswomen of color, telling them to “go back” to where they came from. Argentina marks the solemn 25th anniversary of the bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 and wounded 300. White supremacists in Massachusetts have launched a coordinated fliering campaign, targeting area synagogues with propaganda…